


Ventus Mutationis

by LadyStarwing



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Also there's Tengu, Gen, Hoshido-centric, Post-Conquest, also a magical mishap, because fuck yes bird shifters, but the last one was unexpected, dealing with political problems, if he ever shows up, just gonna have generic M!Corrin in play for this, picking up the pieces and going on with life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10030700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyStarwing/pseuds/LadyStarwing
Summary: Resurrection is not a neat and tidy miracle, despite what the stories might say.





	

The war had ended only a month or so past, so Namara hadn’t been too surprised by how low her sales had been in Shirasagi proper. With a heavy sigh, the portly woman snapped the reins over her reliable old draught horse, giving him the cue to start the long haul back to Izumo, and from there, stay the winter until the mountain passes opened to let her go back through to Nohr and her home of Macarath. With a snort and a toss of his mane, the old gelding began to walk, his steady gait making it a smooth trip even from Namara’s spot on the front of her wagon. 

Another heavy sigh left her, and she looked up at the sun as it hung low in the autumn sky – she’d be barely past the Great Wall at this rate, but she hadn’t found out her favorite customer had perished in the fighting until as she was packing up with no sight of her. ‘Sai’s not gonna be happy to hear that,’ Namara shook her head, ‘he was always fond of little Oboro …’ 

Thoughts of her husband kept her thoughts occupied for some time, and after they faded, she began to mentally go over the ledger full of her sales. Her horse knew this road well, and even if some Nohrian soldiers still lingered (unlikely, as the prince-regent had been quite adamant about returning home before the long winter nights fully settled in), she had the paperwork to permit her passage through to the neutral lands of Halata and Izumo. 

So she was greatly surprised when her old horse stopped abruptly just beyond the wall, jolting her from her musings as the gelding snorted and came to a dead halt, ears stiffly forward. “What’s gotten into you, Eldi?” Namara queried as she leaned forward to pat the horse on his rump, trying to stir him into motion. “did a bush shake aggressively in your direction? It’s prolly just a rabbit …” 

Namara’s voice tapered out as she looked beyond her horse as best as she could to see a lump of silver and storm cloud grey half hidden at the base of the wall. 

Confused herself now, Namara climbed down from the wagon with her short spear in hand to investigate. All odds were that it was a pegasus foal that was waiting for its mother, but wild pegasi weren’t common in this part of Hoshido … 

The lump stirred a bit as she approached, and Namara paused her slow steps to keep from spooking either the lump or her draught horse. “Easy there,” she cooed out as she resumed her approach. She could see wings now, silver and storm cloud grey and traces of black banding the feathers like the goshawks she’d seen Nohrian falconers use. Unusual markings on pegasi, which tended to veer more towards crane and heron-like markings in this region of the world. Perhaps a lost foal from a migrating flock? 

Whatever questions she might have had died in Namara’s throat when the lump shifted enough to sit up and reveal what the feathers were connected to. 

It  _ appeared  _ to be a human – a male human, at that – with fair skin and a strong frame, as there wasn’t a stitch of clothing on him. Long silver hair – or was it feathers? Namara couldn’t tell at this distance – fell over his shoulders and down to his hips, and his face was distinctly humanoid as confused carmine eyes slowly focused on her. 

That was where the humanoid features slowly began to taper out. While his arms and hands resembled a human’s in shape and number of digits, the skin turned into tawny, pebbly scales and skin beneath his elbows, with talons instead of fingernails. His legs were similar, with the shift occurring at mid-calf and ending in the wicked talons of a kinshi, the sickle claw included. A tuft of feathers sprouted from where ears should be on a human, and they twitched in such a way that gave Namara the impression of the bird-person listening to the sounds around them. 

The most damning features, however, were the large wings – the lump she had seen had been  _ his wings,  _ their sheer size having made her think it was a foal’s flank – and the tail feathers that sprouted from the base of his spine. 

Namara gaped for a long moment – what in the name of all the great dragons was a  _ tengu  _ doing so far from their home territory? 

A shift and a nervous cough from the young male made her focus on him. The look didn’t seem to help, as he shifted more to allow his wings to fold up over his nude frame. “Ah … can I help you?” he asked, voice hesitant and damningly younger – he hadn’t finished growing yet, Namara was certain of that. 

“I’m fine, lad,” she began, taking another step closer to him. “I’m more worried about you – you’re quite the distance away from the tengu’s home mountain – did someone try to grab at you for your plumage?” 

Poachers were the unspoken blight on Hoshido’s proclaimed idyllic populace – the kitsune and tengu in particular were often hunted for pelts and feathers, and unless one paid attention to the scale or knew their trade well, were often dyed and passed off for other animal parts to avoid arrest. 

The young tengu’s brow furrowed, as if in thought, and he shook his head. The movement of his ‘hair’ confirmed it as yet more plumage, flashes of bright silver feathers that seemed shorter around his face to mimic human bangs. “I … I couldn’t tell you, miss,” He admitted, still in that hesitant tone, “I don’t remember much beyond this past month? I woke up in the bushes here and didn’t know much beyond my name …” a weak laugh followed that. “first turned into a bird on pure accident, so that should tell you everything.” 

_ That  _ was concerning, Namara noted. “Did any soldiers here try to hurt you?” 

“Nope – the steel ones did try and approach me once, but didn’t pursue me when I fled. They left me meals in this bush from time to time before they all followed the horse-riders away, though. I’ve just kept myself hidden from the cloth ones that came here recently, however.” He shrugged, wings ruffling with the motion. “Kept myself to hunting at twilight so they couldn’t try and shoot me – they all seem paranoid one of the dark wyrms is going to fly over and roast them again, or something.” 

“In their defense, a war did just end a month ago,” Namara admitted as she started to lean against her spear. “Perhaps that might tie into why your memory escapes you?” 

“Maybe …” 

Silence followed that, awkward enough to taste. Namara chewed her lower lip in thought, watching the tengu as his wings drew in closer around his form. He was healthy and capable, that much was certain, but if the Hoshidan soldiers that had been stationed at the wall were so tense they were expecting a last second duskwyrm strike … a tengu would be shot and killed no questions asked. 

Her decision was made in a moment, and she offered the young tengu a smile. “My route takes me to Izumo, and it’s a quick trip from there to the tengu mountain. You can ride along with me and ol’ Eldi if you wish, young one.” 

“Takumi,” the tengu rushed out. He seemed to realize his sharp tone, because he shook his head, “Ah, I mean … that’s my name – Takumi. I’m sorry I didn’t give it before.” 

“Don’t stress it – I didn’t ask sooner, that’s all,” Namara smiled as she rolled the name around in her head; Takumi. A traditional name, common enough for the tengu, Namara noted. His flock brothers and fathers would be happy to have him returned, she was certain. “So, are you coming along or …?” she proffered, only to chuckle and nod at his bare form. “At the least, let this little woman make you some sort of clothing so you don’t get in trouble for running around in your skivvies.” 

Flushed bright red, Takumi gave a nod and stood up, wings still covering his indecency. “Yeah, clothes … clothes would be nice.” He admitted, carmine eyes darting around to make certain nobody was approaching to see his state. Namara gave a small laugh and gestured towards her wagon. 

“Go ahead and burrow yourself in the fabrics for now, and pick out what colors you like – I’ll make you pants when we stop for dinner, and if you’ll take charge of the wagon tomorrow, a shirt.” She explained, a wry smile on her face. “In exchange, I’ll just need your help with dishes and dinner and whatnot. No payment, since you clearly don’t have any gold on you.” The comment earned a chuckle from the tengu as he began to walk towards the wagon. Namara took a moment to examine his strange prints – the right size to be mistaken for a kinshi, at the least – before following him back to her wagon. 

Oh, was Sai going to have a stiff drink after he heard his wife’s story. 

* * *

Takumi soon proved to make for an interesting conversation partner, to Namara’s great amusement. He was quick-witted despite the lack of memories, and was eager to discuss the politics and lifestyle of the traders and villages that Namara had frequented on her trade routes. He had rooted through her fabrics whilst they spoke, and was able to present a collection of them for his new clothes.

He seemed to have a preference for blues, she noted with amusement as she finally settled on a deep navy cotton for the hakama she’d make for him. She had thought about smallclothes, but a quick, professional look at his tail feathers soon dashed that idea. 

Namara had to admit to amusement at the way he had flushed and squawked when she first approached him for measurements, much in the manner young boys tended to do when she took measurements for kimonos and doublets. It had taken about five minutes of explanation and persuasion for Takumi to relax enough for the measurements to be taken, and he had fled back to the wagon full of fabrics the moment she had jotted the last one down in her ledger. 

She looked up from the stew she was making for their dinner, Eldi unhitched from his harness to graze on the rich grasses and plants that lined the road. After a moment, the woman laughed as she spotted Takumi ease out from his hiding spot to slowly approach the draught horse, carmine eyes focused on the massive hooves in case the beast decided to kick. 

One step, and Eldi remained placid. 

Another; no change.

A third; the gelding flicked his tail to discourage a bold fly, and Takumi took a hesitant hop back. After a moment passed with no other movement, he resumed the approach.  

Namara couldn’t stop her mirth as she watched each wary step and hop Takumi took to the horse, especially not when she realized his head barely reached Eldi’s withers. The gelding didn’t twitch once beyond his ears flicking to listen to the approach, but his body remained relaxed as a taloned hand reached out to touch his mane. Soon, Takumi was running gentle fingers through the gelding’s mane, talons undoing knots and burrs that Namara was too small to properly clear out without a stepladder. 

The view made her smile as she finished the stew and set it to boil for a moment, and began to cut the fabric for the hakama. They wouldn’t be as fancy or polished as if she had more time to prepare, but they would do until she could make a better pair at a more stable location. 

Takumi had moved from the mane to Eldi’s tail by the time she next looked up at him, the tengu letting out a small croon to let the large horse know he was in a blind spot. His first attempt was met with a tail swish that buffeted him and made him hop back with a small ‘wirk’ sound, but he had enough courage to approach and try again. Eldi seemed thoroughly contented with this treatment, and he remained still to let Takumi groom out the snarls in his tail. Large wings continuously buffeted the air in place of the tail swishing at flies, and it was a heartwarming enough sight to keep Namara smiling as she put aside the fabric blanks and check on the stew. 

“Dinner’s on, Takumi,” she called out, receiving a confirming ‘okay’ from the tengu. She was puzzled when his footfalls headed towards the wagon first instead of the campfire. Namara lifted her head in time to see the flash of his tail feathers as he hopped back into the wagon. There were a few minutes of fishing around and frustrated twittering before he emerged again, a length of ocean blue fabric in his hands. 

Namara knew what it was in an instant, and she smiled as she watched him wrap the fabric around his waist before trotting over to the campfire. “Easier than just hiding everything with your wings, I take it?” she asked, mirth in her voice as takumi flushed and nodded. “I keep forgetting that blanket is in that wagon, truth be told. Gets too warm to sleep under at times, especially here in Hoshido.” 

“It … feels like fur.” Takumi admitted as he sat down across from her, patient as he watched her ladle up a bowl of the stew for him. Taking it with a quiet ‘thank you’, he took a sip, and Namara was impressed when he caught the first chunk of hare meat without choking on it. The amusement changed to mild disgust as she caught sight of small, needle-like teeth beneath the humanoid lips as he started to chew it, his talons dipping into the soup to eagerly find more of the chunks of meat.  

Deciding it wasn’t worth the time and effort to try and teach a tengu proper chopstick etiquette - if he could even hold them with his talons - Namara shook her head with a chuckle as she ate some of the stew herself. “It is -- my son’s boyfriend, Fenrir, made it for us as a midwinter gift.” 

The statement made Takumi smile, and he settled further into the blanket. “It’s a big blanket, I’ll give it that much. Wonder what kind of animal this fur is from, though ...” He laughed, taking another long sip from the bowl of stew. Namara chuckled at the sight before answering the question, and the light conversation continued on through the pot of stew. 

Exhaustion had caught up to the tengu at that point, and he quietly ambled back to the wagon after he helped clean up from supper. Namara finished the makeshift hakama and staked Eldi before retiring to the wagon herself, ready to sleep. 

The sight of Takumi curled up beneath the fur blanket, wings and all, earned a contented smile from the merchant as she blew out the candle and retired to sleep herself. 

* * *

Weeks rolled by, the autumn colors a pleasure to drive the wagon through. Takumi proved to be capable at handling Eldi and the wagon, and Namara eventually delegated leading the gelding to him. She had needed to pull out a map and show him where Izumo was, but his sense of direction was impeccable once he had a destination in mind.

Takumi did have the habit of ducking out of sight when other travelers used the road, although Namara couldn’t blame him too much. Tengu weren’t exactly a common sight in Hoshido as of late, to the point where most of the race was considered a myth, or merely a turn of phrase for older monks that kept to the mountains along the borderline. Namara didn’t blame the young man for avoiding any trouble his strange appearance might cause. 

She  _ did,  _ however, have to repeatedly reassure him that she didn’t need payment for the clothes she had made for him. Takumi was nothing if not stubborn, and had all but insisted in figuring out some way of paying Namara back for the three pairs of hakama and the couple of tunics she had made for him. He had also found a scrap of long, bright red silk to serve as a sash for the tunics (she had left the back panel largely unattached to accommodate room for his quite impressive wingspan). It had finally taken a firm bonk on the head from her sales ledger to make him stop trying to pluck a silver feather or five from his wings, and he had opted to give her payment in the form of a hug instead. 

The trip had taken them from the rolling green plains of Hoshido to the arid Halata, the lands of the Wind Tribe. Takumi seemed to revel in that, and spent most of his time calling out to the birds that flew overhead in a soft, lilting birdsong that lulled Namara to sleep more than once. There had also been more than one morning where she had woken up to find him with a golden eagle perched along one arm, the massive bird of prey exchanging what the merchant could only assume was gossip as Takumi cooked up a small goat that the beast had brought with it. 

It was to the point that when they reached the border with Izumo, Namara felt a tug at her heartstrings at the thought of the parting. Takumi was indeed a genuinely sweet boy, if a bit blunt with his words at times. The memories that eluded him never came back as far as she could tell, but he didn’t seem fully bothered by it. 

“Honestly, I just want to know why I woke up in the nude.” Takumi admitted when she asked him about the subject, taking a bite from the apple he had filched from a tree earlier that morning. “It’s just … that’s the oddest part of it to me. When I try to think about what I remember from right before waking up in the bushes, it … it feels dark,” carmine eyes closed at that, a frown tugging at his lips. “Suffocating and too hot to breathe and think, small shards of thoughts slipping away when I try to grab at them.” 

Namara gave a nod, pursing her lips in thought as she directed Eldi a bit further from her usual course. “Mayhap you should check in with a healer -- it’s fully possible you got hit by mistake during the fighting in the war and took a long, hard fall onto the wall itself.” She proffered, truly having no other options. 

“Then I’d say it’s a miracle my wings aren’t completely shattered!” a laugh escaped Takumi as he took another bite of the fruit, his ‘head wings’ twitching in a way that reminded the merchant of a contented cat. “But yeah ... talking to a healer might be smart, if only to make sure I don’t have a head injury or something.” He scratched at his cheek as he spoke, head tilted as if he needed to ponder on the matter a bit. “I … I have a feeling I was headache prone? but I haven’t had one the entire time we’ve been traveling together …” 

“I’d call that a good thing, frankly,” Namara chortled as she looked up to see a soft, quiet mist slip into the area. Eldi’s ears were both pricked forward, but the gelding continued on without pause. “We’re almost there - I’d give it another five minutes at most, and then you’ll be home.” 

A wan smile crossed Takumi’s face as he finished the apple, the words settling heavy in his stomach. ‘Home’ felt … odd; while he knew Namara meant well, something about the term didn’t sit well in context to a mountain full of other tengu. Was that really his home? He certainly didn’t  _ feel  _ like it was, but … Where else could he have come from? He doubted that there were any other tengu mountains, else Namara might have taken him to one of them instead. 

His thoughts stopped when the wagon did, and he poked his head out of the canvas cover to gauge their surroundings. 

There was a thick mist around them, almost obscuring the base of the mountain that the wagon had stopped by. Thick underbrush and brambles covered the side of the road, which showed disuse and decay compared to the well-worn path they had been taking up until this point. a look further up the mountain didn’t give much other information, as the mist thickened to blend into the clouds, creating a permanent twilight that felt soothing and frightening all at once. 

“And here we must part ways, young Takumi,” Namara sighed as she scootched over in her seat to let him clamber out next to her, “the Tengu’s Mountain -- if there’s another name for it, it’s been lost to the rest of us, but nobody likes to go up there anyway. Hells, I think it’s recommended that, unless one’s a priest or chosen by the Divine Winds, you just steer clear of this place.” 

Takumi could feel something stir in him at the mention of ‘Divine Winds’, but it was gone before he could pinpoint what it was. Traces of a vaguely familiar warmth lingered in his mind, though, so he didn’t press the matter as he hopped out onto the driver’s bench. His spare sets of clothes were gathered up in one arm, and he took tally of them before he slipped out onto the ground. 

“Well, I guess this is goodbye, then?” He asked weakly, giving the merchant a smile. “I … I can’t really think of much else to say beyond ‘thank you’, honestly. You could have just left me there at the wall, after all -- I mean, I’m not your problem.” 

“Poppycock; someone might have tried to use your down for a blanket, and that wouldn’t do.” Namara scoffed as she turned and began to root around in the wagon once more. “Speaking of blankets, you’ve forgotten something.” 

Before Takumi could ask for clarification, she had re-emerged and dropped the blue fur blanket over his head. 

“You go ahead and keep it -- I saw how well it worked with your wings, and I wager that mountain gets cold come winter,” she explained when he managed to pull the blanket up enough to look at her in surprise. Namara gave him a smile and nodded in response to his stupor, “Besides, I think Fenrir’d be happier to hear that it’s found someone who enjoys it as much as you do.” 

Her reward was a shy smile and as elegant a bow as Takumi could manage with the blanket draped over him. “Again … thank you, Namara. I hope you have good weather the rest of your trip to Izumo proper.” He straightened up after that, pulling the blanket off of his head and using it to wrap up the rest of his clothes into a neat bundle. Namara smiled more and reached over to pat his head in farewell, which earned a laugh as he walked towards the base of the mountain. 

Takumi gave Eldi a pat on his large neck as he walked along, carmine eyes focused on the start of the mountain path. He stood at the start for several minutes, as if studying it, before he gave a nod and turned to look at Namara over his shoulder. “I think I can fly the rest of the way up here -- the clouds should give me enough cover. Thank you again!” 

Namara smiled and waved at him as she clucked at Eldi, letting the large horse know he could start the trip to Izumo proper once more. She saw Takumi wave back out of the corner of one eye, and turned to call out one last goodbye when a flash of soft green made her words come up short. 

The spot where Takumi had once been standing was now empty, a few silver feathers floating down to rest on the path. A glance up only allowed her a fleeting sight of his tail feathers as he vanished into the mist, the various greys and blacks of his plumage perfectly camouflaged in the poor lighting. 

“And there he goes,” She sighed and shook her head, eyes refocusing back onto Eldi as the draught horse ambled back towards the main road. “A shame -- I’m certain Sai would have enjoyed his company. The man will probably think I’m a bit touched in the head as is when I tell him about this.” Namara chuckled more at the thought. “Not that I blame him -- me, a simple Nohrian born and bred merchant, finding a  _ tengu!  _ The gods might as well have let a bag of gold plop into my lap for how absurd such an occurrence must sound!” 

Her mirth carried Namara throughout the day, and even with the detour, she could find herself coming up to the main gates of Izumo by sundown. Deciding it was safer to enter the city-state at dawn, she pulled off the road enough to make camp, and was rooting through her cooking supplies when her hand brushed up against a soft bundle. Confused, she pulled it free - it was a simple drawstring bag made out of rabbit fur, and was oddly light. 

Inside of it, however, was an absolute fortune in feathers, with a pair of flawless silver ones resting at the very bottom on top of a simple note. 

_ ‘Thank you for your kindness, and I hope this is payment enough.’ _

* * *

 

The air was still and cold the further up the mountain Takumi went. He had landed and resumed the trip on foot when moisture in the clouds made his wings heavy, and he had since drawn out the fur blanket and draped it over himself for warmth. 

He had to be nearing the summit by this point, he wagered. There was little more than frost and evergreen trees at this altitude, and his eyes could catch flashes of hound-like shapes darting to and fro. some of the shapes stopped to watch him,Takumi was certain, but they would always move faster than he could get a good look at them. It was starting to fray his nerves, and a shiver shot down his spine as the talons on his feet struck cobblestone. 

Surprised, he looked down. A stone road had started beneath his feet, well kept and polished, a sharp contrast to the route he had been taking before this point. Distinctive shadows made him look up and to the side, the faint silhouette of a red torii gate visible through the mists. 

A sudden lump in his throat forced Takumi to swallow, but he gave a shake of his head and pressed on forward, carmine eyes focused ahead of him. 

Wild sounds approached him, the wind stirred to life by other shapes and creatures darting to and fro on the edges of his peripheral vision. Nothing once attacked, but it was still a disconcerting feeling to know he was being followed by …  _ whatever  _ lived on this mountain beyond the tengu. Some even seemed to be above him, staying just out of sight as he passed beneath another torii, and yet a third one. He looked up in time before reaching the fourth one to see several large shapes perched atop it, massive corvids that watched him as he continued his approach. 

Takumi tightened the grip he had on his blanket, and lowered his head as he pressed on through the fourth torii. 

Beyond it was an open plateau, the mists parting as if a glass window surrounded the area. A bright sun cast sharp light onto the mountaintop, bleaching everything on it white and gold and reflecting off of the surface of a flawless lake that resided near the back of it. High mountain walls to his left and right shielded the plateau from too heavy of wind and rain, and he could make out the faintest outlines of what he assumed were windows and doors. 

In the center of the plateau, however, was a temple. The roof was painted a warm sky blue as opposed to the traditional red, a pair of cranes standing tall and alert on either end. The front doors were also painted blue, sacred rope and paper streamers hanging from the awning and buffeted in an invisible breeze. 

He stood there for a moment longer before drawing a deep breath and loosened his grip on the the bundle of his clothes. “Okay, Takumi,  _ relax.  _ You’re a tengu, you’re not gonna get ripped apart here,” Takumi scolded himself as he began to approach the temple. “Just explain that you woke up naked and confused at the Great Wall in Hoshido, and if you were kicked out there for some reason, maybe they’ll be inclined to share what it was before you get kicked off the mountain a second time.”

Someone laughed behind him, and Takumi whirled around to try and see who it was. 

A wall of man-sized crows had formed behind him, all watching him with tilted heads. Some of them tittered and cawed to one another, and he could make out a few who sat around in a humanoid form, also watching him. There was no sign of aggression as the myriad sets of golden brown and black eyes watched him, but he almost wished there  _ was.  _

“Y - yes …?” He finally spoke up, not liking how his voiced cracked. “I … I ah … I’m Takumi? I woke up in central Hoshido and was brought here by a merchant when she found me.” The words were halting, and he could feel his wings mantling in anticipation of an attack. “I don’t remember much beyond the month I spent alone, so I was hoping that I could get some answers here?” 

The tengu assembled before him remained silent, and Takumi could feel the onset of fear and panic grip at his heart. Had he made a mistake after all, and was about to meet a grisly death that would go unknown and unmourned? Should he have stayed with Namara and continued to travel with her? Did he even have time to fly and escape if he  _ was  _ attacked? 

His panicked ramblings were silenced by the sound of a temple door sliding open behind him, and all of the tengu shifted their gazes to it. Still stiff and frightened, Takumi slowly turned as well to see what had held their attention. 

A young girl with floor-length, snow white hair and a pair of crane wings stood in the doorway, wearing the garb of a shrine maiden. Large golden eyes watched Takumi with interest, gauging him from the dozen or so feet that separated them. He couldn’t detect fear or hostility from her, merely curiosity. 

Behind her stood a large, dark-skinned man with the broad, white-splotched wings of a raven. Long black hair fell to his waist in a braid, and feathers grew from his elbows where human flesh became avian talons. Red eyes focused onto Takumi as well, far more critical than the crane girl’s beside him. A frown tugged at the man’s lips, and he glanced down at the girl that only came up to the top of his hip. Wordlessly, she looked up at him and nodded before she began to walk to Takumi, the large tengu behind her. 

Startled, the silver-plumed male straightened up and gave a bow, praying nothing would pounce upon his exposed back. “I … I’m sorry, miss? I ah, I got lost and …” A raised hand made him fall silent, carmine eyes meeting gold as the white-haired shrine maiden gave him a brilliant smile. 

“Think nothing of it,” she replied, a voice like chiming bells escaping her small frame. “We’re all just grateful to see you arrive here undamaged and safe after you disappeared for almost two months like you did.” 

Before Takumi could press on and ask for confirmation that he was indeed native to the mountain, the large tengu crossed his arms over his chest and gave a sharp nod. “Although this does raise questions -- the last we had heard of you, you were a human, not a tengu.

“What made you take on this form, Lord Fuujin?”

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this is an idea I've had rattling around in my head for quite some time after clearing Conquest for the first time. This isn't going to have a lot of fighting in it, at least not at the start, as it's mainly focused on picking up the pieces that were left behind for the Hoshido sisters after the war with Nohr ended. 
> 
> Why's Takumi alive as a bird person? Good question! He'd like to know the answer to that too, frankly, and that'll get found out along the way~


End file.
